What R WE reading in the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research? A look at the most read articles in January–February 2023
In this new column, we share the most read content published in our partner journal, the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research (JCER).
JCER welcomes unsolicited proposals for articles across a broad range of topics in comparative effectiveness, health economics, outcomes research, pharmacoeconomics and real-world evidence. If you’re interested in contributing to the journal, please get in touch with the Editor of JCER, Laura Dormer, on [email protected].
How does risdiplam compare with other treatments for Types 1–3 spinal muscular atrophy: a systematic literature review and indirect treatment comparison
Featured in our top 6 most read articles from the journal in 2022 article, this article looks at the relative effectiveness of risdiplam compared with other therapies available for the treatment of Types 1–3 spinal muscular atrophy. In the absence of head-to-head randomized trials comparing the efficacy of disease-modifying therapies in SMA, the authors conducted indirect treatment comparisons to provide estimates of relative effects of efficacy and safety of treatments approved for SMA.
Propensity score matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting to address confounding by indication in comparative effectiveness research of oral anticoagulants
Another key article from the journal published in 2022, this article describes the fundamentals of propensity score matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting, which are used to control for confounding by indication in observational studies. Illustrated by a clinical example from cardiology, the authors highlight the applicability of these methodologies in real-world, comparative effectiveness research of oral anticoagulants used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.
Vaginal laser therapy for gynecologic conditions: re-examining the controversy and where do we go from here
This article provides a critical review of the controversy surrounding vaginal laser therapy and highlights the crucial difference between ablative and non-ablative vaginal lasers. Although further research is necessary, the piece outlines essential considerations that healthcare professionals should be aware of before incorporating this technology into their clinical practice.
Efficacy classification of modern therapies in multiple sclerosis
In 2015, the Association of British Neurologists (ABN) released guidelines on the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). These guidelines categorized DMTs based on their average reduction in relapses. However, since then, several new DMTs have become available without being classified using this method. Led by authors from Eversana, the article aims to address this issue by proposing two approaches to categorize these new DMTs. The study’s findings provide crucial evidence regarding the comparative effectiveness of contemporary therapies against older approved treatments for individuals with MS.
Bayesian hierarchical model-based network meta-analysis to overcome survival extrapolation challenges caused by data immaturity
For health technology assessment and health economic modelling purposes, the lifetime costs and consequences of interventions must be assessed. Yet often in rare diseases and oncology, where timely access to treatments is paramount, HTA decisions need to be based on clinical trials with incomplete, or “immature”, survival data. This paper, published in the March 2023 issue of the journal and led by Bart Heeg from Cytel, describes a new methodology to allow researchers to leverage mature data of therapies in the evidence network to inform survival extrapolations of same-class therapies with immature survival data.
Semaglutide treatment for obesity in teenagers: a plain language summary of the STEP TEENS research study
JCER is a pioneer of a new article type called the Plain Language Summary of Publication. These are standalone articles published in JCER that convey the results of scientific research in language that is accessible to nonspecialists. With their own unique DOI, these are plain language, visually enriched articles that provide a summary of a key publication originally published JCER or another peer-reviewed journal.
In this Plain Language Summary of Publication, the authors provide a summary of the STEP TEENS research study, which was originally published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Comparison of weighting methods used in multicriteria decision analysis frameworks in healthcare with focus on low- and middle-income countries
Originally published in February 2019, in this narrative review the authors present the advantages and disadvantages of the methods for criteria weighting, a key element of multicriteria decision analysis that is becoming extensively used in healthcare decision-making. In comparing these methods, they also provide guidance for those selecting the most appropriate methodology for a given decision problem in low- and middle-income settings.